Neville Beats Austin Aries to Retain Cruiserweight Title at WWE Extreme Rules

Neville prevailed in a submission match Sunday at Extreme Rules to defeat Austin Aries and retain the Cruiserweight Championship.

Aries got Neville to tap out to the Last Chancery, but the move occurred outside the ring, so the official couldn't count the submission.

That allowed Neville to stay in the match, and he gained the upper hand. He hit the Red Arrow on Aries, landing directly on Aries' back. That softened the challenger up for the Rings of Saturn, and he had little choice but to submit.

WWE showed Neville lording the cruiserweight title over his critics:

The Miami Herald's Scott Fishman was disappointed with the finish:

The rivalry between Neville and Aries has been among the hottest and most personal in WWE over the past few months.

It began during the build toward WrestleMania when Aries returned from an eye injury and established himself as the No. 1 contender.

The talented Superstars put on an excellent match as part of the WrestleMania Kickoff, and The King of the Cruiserweights managed to escape with the title in tow due in large part to raking Aries' previously injured eye.

The Greatest Man That Ever Lived earned another shot at Neville in a match at Payback, and although Aries was victorious, Neville retained the Cruiserweight Championship by getting himself intentionally disqualified.

That result set up a rubber match for Extreme Rules with the added stipulation that the bout could only be won by submission.

In the weeks leading up to Extreme Rules, Neville and Aries engaged in a war of words. The challenger made sure to remind Neville what happened at Payback, according to 205 Live on Twitter:

While Aries had momentum due to his Payback win, Neville was undeterred and as confident as ever.

Per WWE's official Twitter account, Neville offered a word of warning to his rival:

There was a great deal of excitement among the WWE Universe entering Extreme Rules due to the type of in-ring chemistry Neville and Aries have proved to have with each other.

The added submission stipulation was a major positive as well since Neville and Aries boast two of the best submission maneuvers in all of wrestling.

Since lessening his use of high-flying moves, including the Red Arrow, Neville has adopted the Rings of Saturn as his primary finisher.

Meanwhile, Aries has long utilized the Last Chancery, which is arguably among the most beautiful and graceful submission holds in existence.

In what many will undoubtedly consider a show-stealing match, Neville continued his dominant run through the cruiserweight division.

With Aries out of the picture, the door is now open for another cruiserweight to step up and challenge The Man That Gravity Forgot.

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